


Oneiromancy

by SpaceKnight



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:28:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24679258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceKnight/pseuds/SpaceKnight
Summary: Oneiromancy, prophetic divination from dreams, considered a divine act in most ancient cultures and surviving to modern times in certain folk traditions. Oneiromancy is based on the belief that dreams are messages sent to the soul by gods or the dead, most often as warnings.TL;DR, Akko thinks she may have accidentally killed Diana. Spoilers, no she didn't.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 4
Kudos: 61





	1. The Canon.

“The conscious mind which we use in our daily activities and the subconscious mind, which is controlled during our sleep are what most theories regarding dreams can agree with. The possession of both comes regardless of one’s affinity to magic, however-” 

Atsuko Kagari eyes struggled to remain open, all enthusiasm for the _special divination class_ had lasted a grand total of ten minutes, less even if anyone counted the time she spent glancing at a certain blue team. 

_Kami-sama, nine witches,_ _she hoped that hadn’t happened._

Chariot was still her favorite teacher by a mile and then some but the minute everything got theoretical, symbols were thrown, charts were drawn, she barely suppressed the pained groan in her throat. 

And so, half-way through the class, when her eyes could no longer be kept open nor her head maintained its current position on the palm of her hand, falling face first onto her desk as sleep found her, the sting of red on her face followed by a sting to her pride at the snickers to her side and the loud laugh seats behind them. 

“Fucking hell, I see it and don’t believe it. Akko’s actually ahead in this one! Don’t think you’ll beat me when we actually start though.”

“Amanda! Language!” Akko pouted, gritting her teeth and as menacing as she could, raising her fist towards the American. Raging fire in both their eyes. 

“Atsuko? Would you like me to repeat the key points before we begin?” 

Sucy showed her smile all teeth and not an ounce of remorse. “Teacher it’s better if I give her a potion that just sends her to sleep, for an indefinite amount of time.” 

“Oi!” Determined to get back part of her pride, along with maybe just wanting to show off for once, she looked to the side, Diana seemingly the only person who wasn’t joining in with a smile or chuckle, fixing a hair behind her ear and a long blink at the silent staring. 

“No thank you Chariot-sensei! I’ve got it, besides the magic it depends on who performs it, the source, purpose and end result and location of the dream.” She huffed, pride swelling up her chest with each gasp. Another glance towards the blue team and _was Diana smiling? IN PUBLIC!?_ More of a quip at the corner of her lips but Akko would take what she could get. “The rest is protection for the sleeper, amplifiers and categories ah but...I really didn’t get the divine ones.” 

“The. Fuck?!” 

“AMANDA! LANGUAGE! Very good Atsuko, don’t worry the divine dreams aren’t meant to be covered until senior year. Well if no one has any questions...” No one raised their hands, if they were too in shock by her answering right, well that didn’t matter. “...Let’s start.” 

“Hah! Serves you right Aman-Wait, Lotte, Sucy?! Why are you standing up?” 

Sucy rolled her eye, a sharp smile coming again. “We’re supposed to pair up for the divination genius.” Her hunch stance changed little to none, as she all but shoved Akko away from being in the middle and stole her seat next to Lotte. 

“Ah Akko, we’re supposed to pair with someone we’re very close too.” 

“Huh!? Then why aren’t I with you guys? The green team is still together!” 

“That’s cause we’re a TRIO!” 

“SO ARE WE!” 

Intervention came from the least expected of places, Hannah and Barbara, each tugging at Akkos ears, pulling and if they had the strength they would have pushed her all the way towards their friend. 

“You’re supposed to be, with someone you trust THE most.” 

“Save the world together, trust.” 

The seven witches watched with extreme frustration how Akko seemed to realize what that meant, stammering over her words and marching towards the only person without a partner. 

“Y’know? I kinda feel bad for Cavendish now.” 

“But doesn’t this remind anyone of volume 3 of Nightfall when Edgar began warming up to Belle!” 

“I WAS THINKING EXACTLY THAT!”

* * *

“What do you think they’re yelling about?” Akko slumped in the chair next to Diana, her chin resting on the table while Chariot passed around offering different types of vials, dusts and feathers. 

“I’m not sure but they look very excited.” Diana closed her book, the same quip of her lips when Akko looked her way. “You did well today.” 

“You don’t save the world just for pretty lights!” Akko had sprung, even if with her sudden moves Diana didn’t recoil and in a more sheepish manner when Chariot left the materials at their table she added in a rushed mumbled. _“Andhavingagoodtutorreallyhelps.”_

“I see, glad to hear our sessions are proving useful.” 

“Yup!” 

“The student isn’t so bad either, though I wished she wouldn’t fall asleep at least during the sessions.” 

“I- **DIANA**!” Akko really, doesn’t mind the teasing even when Diana apology is more a giggle than a word itself she’s pretty happy where things were, 

“Now class, remember there are vast categories for your dreams, the major ones being those of natural, psychic, telepathic, astral projection and divine, of course we’ll be focusing on psychic dreams. If you find yourself in a telepathic one don’t worry, it’s-” Her and Diana had come a long, long, LONG, way from their first meeting. 

It makes Akko wonder, if things would have been different if they met under different circumstances, would they have been friends sooner? “We’re all unique, the symbology will all react to our individual symbols and objects-” 

A squeeze on her hands brings her back from zoning out, Diana is looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “And remember, because your magic will be merging it’s very important that you have a clear image of what you’d like to know.” 

“Did you have trouble with something, Akko?” 

“Huh? Oh no! No, no! I understood and heard everything!” It was partially true! She did hear everything, just not everything had actually stuck inside her mind but they were dreams. What was the worst that could happen, right? 

“Alright. Let’s prepare then, I trust you already know what you wish to ask?” 

“Uhhhhh.” 

“Akko...do you want me to go first?” 

“What? No, no, I totally know what I want to ask!” Diana looks doubtful at her words, so Akko does the only thing she knows, speak her mind. 

“I just don’t want you to think it’s silly.” She wonders if Diana would smile at her like this sooner, if she’ll keep smiling at her in the future, the lights from the astrology classroom fade instead of stars they’re greeted by the equivalent of an aurora. 

Akko has taken for granted the hand holding onto her, she let’s go immediately with a noise that’s both a squeak and a gasp, her confused classmates look their way and she swears despite the chatter she can hear Sucy low, haunting voice saying “This dumb-ass.” 

“Atsuko, don’t worry this isn’t something intense you just need to be connected, dream divination alone while not fatal can be a little too tiring for your body. Now if everyone could please move their Valerian root.” 

“We have to hold hands?” 

“It would appear so, does it make you uncomfortable?” 

“No but wouldn’t we work faster if we held hands after we’re done setting up?” Diana gives her a look, one she’s more familiar with that ends with a sigh.

“Speed wise, yes it would. However this is meant to have both of our magics sync up, to make the transition into the dream state easier. So if you’d please?” No matter how close they were, she doubts the spark of rivalry will ever go away, so with all the confidence that has gotten her so far her hand seeks Diana's (even when she'd be the first to drop it) with a wide grin. “I do please!” She’s endlessly satisfied that the blonde mutters something under her breath and simultaneously red dusts her cheeks.

_Akko 1, Diana 0._

After everything was set up, symbols made and drawn, that Diana takes the lead in laying down. 

“Remember girls, remain steady, focus, do not alternate the patterns, after the incantation begins everyone will wake up after the candle burns completely. It’s important you keep focus, as to avoid sending your partner into an unpleasant experience. All you need to do is keep in mind what you wish to know, the candle before you will change colors accordingly, natural dreams will remain white, psychic will turn yellow, telepathic red and divine though rare, gold.” 

“Hey, Diana you promise you won’t laugh at what I want to know right?”

“I promise Akko.” Even when Diana gives her one of her softer smiles she’s still tense, her thoughts not quite matching up a single line of thinking. 

“Repeat after me now.” She does try, saying the words and focusing on a specific thing, but she keeps wandering back and forth between what their future would look like, if their past could have gone differently, if she wanted that to go differently, if they’d be _this_ whatever it was without the end of the world over their shoulders.

“ **Reveal yourself to me and let me see,** **  
****a favorable dream.**

 **May the dream that I dream be favorable,** **  
****May the dream that I dream be true,** **  
****May Mamu, the goddess of dreams,** **  
****stand by my head.**

 **Let me enter E-Sagila, the temple of** **  
****the Gods, the house of life.” [1]**

Akko felt immensely proud of not stammering the words, better yet it seemed to have worked! A look at Diana and the hand in hers felt light, obviously she had fallen asleep and just as she was about to look smugly at Sucy, Amanda and Barbara who were holding onto their own partners (in Amanda's case, both hands were hostage) with a look of horror she realized something very wrong with the candle above Diana's head.

“CHARIOT-SENSEI! MY CANDLE IS BLUE!” 

“Guess Diana is dead now, nice going Akko.” To the horrified screams of Barbara and the laughter of Amanda, the tears down her face were really the least of her worries. 

_Kami-sama, the nines, she really hoped that hadn’t happened._


	2. The AU?

Diana was used to the process of divination, how her mind would clear into a blank slate before the seams of colors, figures and eventually images would shape the landscape around her. Initially when she felt the magic course through her, it had started more or less the same with the blank slate, what she hadn’t expected was for this one to bend in on itself. 

When the image before her crumbled away, like a sheet of paper gradually reduced to nothing before another blank page took place and the process began to repeat itself she felt a mild migraine coming up, the white eventually made way to something reflective, by instinct she reached forward the tips of her fingers barely brushing against the glimmer of light…

_Oh._

Now this felt like a déjà vu staring back at her own face she at least knew this wasn’t Akko. Good as her imitations may be, Diana knew her own face when she saw it. The closer she looked however, she noticed her neck to be stretching out, the once shoulder length hair going past and the wide eyes, bag eyes staring back at her. 

Had Akko meant to see her future? Her musing and possible embarrassment if she had dwell on it were stopped by an even more pressing matter, herself, who could apparently see her. 

“Perhaps Akko was right and I really do need a breather…Barbra, please see that you cancel my hours this weekend.” 

With this, Diana noticed that while they shared the same face and albeit similar fashion choices or at least one she saw herself sporting in the apparent near future two very important facts registered at once. 

The first, the mention of Akko the implications of that one pricked at her skin. 

The second, the lack of anything magical remotely present in the room, office, if someone wanted to get technical. This one left the wrong kind of tingles against her skin. 

“But really, where did my mind even come out with this outfit?.” Her older version, looked at her up and down with a smile she had only caught herself giving in the vanity mirror of her room when the Japanese witch left after their ‘study sessions’. 

“It is a Luna Nova standard uniform, I’d assume even after years I wouldn’t have forgotten about it.” Older Diana, straighten in her chair, heaving out a sigh while pinching the bridge between her nose, seemingly in an internal conflict, the same one Diana was doing trying her best to ignore.

“I’m definitely cutting back hours after this,” Resolute it seems with whatever decision had been made she gestured for her to take a seat. “But pray tell dream conjured me, what exactly is Luna Nova?” 

Diana leveled with her with the same determined expression, a glare turned soft, a silent agreement of truce. Even if for the witch in question this was an understatement of an out of body experience.

* * *

“CHARIOT-SENSEI! WILL SHE WAKE UP!?” 

“Atsuko, please calm down blue it’s,” 

“YO AKKO! Just kiss her and get it over with, like in the movies!”

“Are you insane!? DIANA CAN NOT have her first kiss unconscious?” 

“Why not? She’s fine with Akko’s crazy, this seems like the tamest one…” 

“SUCY! BE SERIOUS. MOU,” 

“Girls, please, Atsuko I want you to listen very carefully. Diana is in no danger, she’ll wake up once the spell is over however you might have sent her to an alternate dimension. It’s a very rare phenomena, actually it’s very difficult to accomplish…” Chariot seemed to be at a loss for words, going onto a small tangent regarding the specifics of it, where dreams could also open a gate towards different lives.

“You mean Diana is an alternate universe?” 

“Damn Akko, the hell were you thinking about anyways?” 

“NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!” 

“. . . And yet again, Akko’s breaking the laws of everything for Diana.” In her sleep, Diana's body twitch ever so slightly. 

* * *

“You are, a witch, coming from a long line of prestigious witches.” 

“Yes and you’re a?”

“Neurosurgeon, much like you my family has a reputation of their own in our field.”

“I see, you mentioned Atsuko before? How...is our relationship together, here?” Diana had no intentions of trying to convince the other woman she wasn’t just some fever dream, it seemed to make the older self accept and converse more easily. Considering she seemed to be in a world without magic, she supposed this was the easier route. 

“Shouldn’t you know, we are dating after-all.” 

“I, N-NO, WE’RE NOT.” At her indignant sputter, manners and every sense of conundrum thrown out the window the older covered her laugh behind her hand, an action she recognized doing herself before a laughing fit took place.

“Ah, this takes me back. I said the same thing the first time Amanda asked if we were finally dating.” 

“Of course O'Neill would.” Diana scowl gets replaced by a pang of longing, seeing her own shade of blue turn so understanding and compassionate bring forth the image of her mother. 

“So tell me, dream me, where are you with Akko?” 

* * *

“CHARIOT-SENSEI! HELP! TEARS!” 

“Atsuko, please, we’re meant to keep quiet, try willing your magic to convey comfort, support.”

* * *

“We, excuse me. You and your Akko, saved the world together?” 

“It really was more her than me.” 

She’s past finding solace in the kind look, the soft and guiding voice, if anything it disturbs Diana seeing the expressions she thought impossibly soft to convey replicated by such ease. Her older self didn’t seem to be faring any better, cradling her head in both hands.

“I really was repressing you a little too much wasn’t I? However, this has to be the most unusual case of proposal nerves I’ve ever heard of but if you’re here telling me we saved the entire world as teenagers that is very reassuring.” 

Diana tries very, very hard, to not drop her jaw, it doesn’t work and she’s staring a little too wide eye for the amusement of her older self. 

“At your age, if you told me I’d be marrying a girl and Atsuko no less my reaction might have been the same but really, this is a formality. If merging our family corporations wasn’t the biggest hint to everyone then a celebration won’t change their minds.”

At the same state of confusion and slight distress Diana can only listen to the parallels between their lives. How the humble life of Atsuko had wrongfully made everyone assumed she didn’t come from money, not that it had really mattered to her but watching her entire family face crumbled when the person they had scorned at had saved them from debt and bankruptcy, their restless nights in med-school and ultimately the support as they both sought different branches.

Atsuko had become an accomplished pediatrician, who spent more time doing charity and pro bono cases more than anything. How Andrew, a good friend of theirs, handled most of the legalities, her own presence at the board.

“Is there anything you’d like to ask?” The witch had almost forgotten she was an intruder here, the life though unknown felt far too familiar.

“How, did you…” The thought still makes her uncomfortable, not the same feeling as before it was a different type of fear rather than acceptance that of rejection. 

“Manage to ask Akko out?” This was probably narcissistic on her part but Beatrix, is she glad only has to nod as a confirmation. The seconds go by, she feels the same migraine begging to come in.

“Chocolate, give her a glass of chocolate milk or hot chocolate depending on the weather. She’ll love you forever.” Diana has to smile at that, cupping her own cheek because, of course, what else would it have been. The intercom rings, she almost gasps at the voices from the other side.

“DIDI! LUNCH TIME, I BROUGHT YOUR FAVORITE, LEMON ICED TEA!” 

“ATSUKO, FOR THE LAST TIME I DON’T CARE HOW IN LOVE YOU AND DIANA ARE, YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO CALL AHEAD OF TIME!”

“MOU, BABS, WE OWN THE PLACE?!”

“I DON’T CARE-” 

Older her cuts off the intermission, Diana wonders briefly if she has the same look lately whenever Akko lingered just a bit too long around her.

“Seeing as you come from a world where magic exists, you wouldn’t happen to know how Akko seemingly just knew what my favorite tea is would you? Ah, you seem to be fading.” Looking at her own hands, Diana can see them becoming translucent and the migraine becoming more prominent.

“The spell must be wearing off. Thank you for your time.” She still doesn’t like that this version of her seems to think of this as nothing but a stressed induced mechanism, “You should take your Akko to magic shows, I’m sure you’ll both enjoy it.” She takes the tiniest ounce of satisfaction watching the confused expression, she feels light, feels the blank state returning, crumbling away at reality and only catching the start of a conversation.

“Diana? Who were you talking to?” 

“No one dear, did you apologize to Barbara for yelling?”

* * *

Like before, a glimmer of light comes up but this time her body is pulled, swallowed up until her eyes adjust back to the gleaming colors of the aurora the image immediately replaced by crimson eyes and the owner of them bringing her in for a hug.

“DIANA, YOU’RE ALIVE.” 

“Akko, if you’d please let go of me.” She didn’t mind the hugging, the grins and varying degrees of smiles from the people she had come to consider as friends looking their way were an entirely different matter.

“Oh whoops! Sorry, I’m, I’m so glad you’re alright and I am so sorry, really all I was thinking was about how we’d be in the future and if things would have been different at the same time but really all I wanted was seeing if well, we’d be friends after Luna Nova and I’m, so, so sorry if you were uncomfortable.” 

After a careful explanation from Miss Chariot who Diana suspected kept things vague if not for the sake of helping Akko fried nerves or to save both of them from more teasing she heaved a sigh. 

“My visit wasn’t an unpleasant one, only shocking but it was enjoyable. I’m perfectly fine however thank you for your concern.” 

A light scolding later, the three teams made their way out with the green one already outside and leading red and blue walking out in succession towards the cafeteria. 

“So Cavendish learned anything fun in the parallel universe?” Diana missed a step, no one but Barbra and Hannah noticed but they remained quiet, interrogation would come later that she was certain. 

“Perhaps.” 

“Which was?” Amanda probed as they made their way into the cafeteria, stepping into line along the rest of the students Diana simply grabbed a carton of chocolate milk, placing it on Akko’s tray who beamed in contrast to her same neutral expression. 

“Atsuko loves chocolate milk.”

“SERIOUSLY, THAT CAN’T BE ALL, THAT’S LAME?!.”

“Oh chocolate milk is lovely, I think it’s a good discovery!” Amanda lamented the complete lack of support from Jasminka and Constanze. 

“You guys are no fun.” 

The witches began filling up their trays, right as they sat down Akko excused herself (which was really her jumping two feet from the table) seemingly having forgotten something from the menu. 

“Akko? Since when do you drink lemon tea?” Diana gave a silent thanks for the question Lotte asked, because currently she had trouble looking up, in fear her cheeks looked as scorching hot as they felt. 

“I don’t? It’s for Diana, it is her favorite after-all!” 

A chorus of “It is?” She felt a knot in her stomach tighten, careful to look up once the blush subsided enough that she could pass away under the excuse of the heat of summer provoked a natural reaction on her pale skin. 

“It is, thank you Atsuko but how did you know?” 

Without her more subdued nature, the blush came in at full force, a sputter as arms flailed about, hands moving rapidly in succession. “Well uh, you know, it was, our magic was connected right? So I caught a bit of, uhm, everything ahahhahah.” 

“Oh.”

“It took you another universe to figure out your favorite drinks instead of just asking?” Hannah looked beyond herself, at the simplicity of it all, Barbra and Lotte squealing in the background in yet again something about Nightfall similarities. 

“That’s Akko for you, with endless potential comes endless stupidity.” Sucy mouth opened comically wide, devouring her mushrooms one at a time. 

After lunch, she was gently tugged aside, her friends almost matching colors with her eyes, something Diana suspected may not be too different from her own. 

“So uhm, heard the other me saying your favorite drink.” 

“I see, did you hear anything else?” When Akko turned an even darker shade of red, Diana simultaneously praised and berated herself for it. 

“Only you being bossy and asking if I had apologized.” 

“You did yell at Barbra awfully loud.” 

Akko sticks her tongue out of her for good measure, Diana feels like everything will be just fine, feels the normality of their routine settling back in. 

“But, I realized I don’t know your favorite snack, or meal, so, do you want to go out sometime to a restaurant in time?” It’s emotionally the biggest step, she has taken so far, it’s a leap.

“Atusko, are you asking me out on a date?” 

“Only if you’re saying yes if not you can pretend we never had this conversation.” 

“I’d love to, Akko.” 

The sigh of relief coming from the other feels like it’s enough to evaporate both of their nerves, strangely enough her cheeks hurt. 

“AKKO, ARE YOU DONE FLIRTING? YOU OWE ME A RACE.” Amanda is once again, greeted by the fist of the mentioned witch who grits her teeth calling back with a defiant cry of her own. “YOU’LL EAT MY FLYING DUST!”

“I’ll text you! AND IT’S MY TREAT! AND DON’T GIVE ME THAT FACE. I can cover our expenses just fine, anyway see you Diana!”

“Farewell Akko, good luck in your endeavors.” 

* * *

Later, at night when the blue team is in their respective nightgowns and Diana gets video from Constanze of all people with Akko seemingly ignoring having beaten Amanda in a perfect broom race in favor of overlapping her victory with joy of their upcoming date, Diana Cavendish comes to the conclusion that no amount of divination, or alternate universe will ever in no way or form, prepare her for anything related to Atsuko Kagari.

_By the nines, if this is what a date felt like, no wonder her other self thought of her as mirage born out of pure stress._

**Author's Note:**

> [1] Ancient Assyrian Dream Prayer. 
> 
> Info about all the magic:  
> https://goodwitcheshomestead.com/2017/04/23/oneiromancy-the-lost-art-of-dream-divination/  
> https://chataboutyou.com/dream-of-magic-meaning  
> http://pansgrove.motd.org/2012/10/14/oneiromancy-the-magic-of-dreams/
> 
> It goes WITHOUT saying, I know nothing about magic :), happy pride month!


End file.
